Loan Kitchen Remodel Estimator
Cabinets eat a third of every kitchen budget and nobody tells you until the quote lands. This estimator prices the remodel by size and tier, then shows where the money actually goes — cabinets, counters, appliances, labour.
Size is the floor area of the kitchen itself, not the whole open-plan space. Tiers assume the layout stays (no wall removal, no moving the sink across the room); structural changes add their own engineering and permit costs on top.
Where a kitchen budget goes
| Line | Share of budget |
|---|---|
| Cabinets & hardware | ≈35% |
| Labour & installation | ≈25% |
| Appliances | ≈13% |
| Countertops | ≈12% |
| Flooring, lighting, plumbing, paint & the rest | ≈15% |
Industry-standard budget anatomy (NKBA-style planning shares). Your results above apply these shares to your own midpoint so you can sanity-check any contractor's line items against them.
How it works
Midpoint = kitchen area × tier rate: $100 budget, $225 mid-range, $450 premium per sq ft, the 2026 national planning bands for a full kitchen remodel with the layout retained. The ±20% range covers regional labour and the usual discoveries. The shares are the industry-standard anatomy of a kitchen budget: cabinets ≈35%, labour ≈25%, appliances ≈13%, countertops ≈12%, everything else ≈15%. If a quote shows cabinets at 55% of the total, the shares here are how you have that conversation with numbers in hand.
Method & worked example
Method: Midpoint = kitchen area × tier rate ($100 budget / $225 mid / $450 premium per sq ft), range ±20%. Budget shares applied to the midpoint follow the industry-standard anatomy: cabinets ≈35%, labour ≈25%, appliances ≈13%, countertops ≈12%, the rest ≈15%.
Worked example: A 150 sq ft mid-range kitchen: $33,750 midpoint, $27,000–$40,500 range — of which cabinets ≈ $11,812, labour ≈ $8,438, appliances ≈ $4,388 and countertops ≈ $4,050. A 120 sq ft budget kitchen midpoints at $12,000.
When to use this
- Budgeting a kitchen remodel and wanting the cabinet share visible up front.
- Comparing a refacing plan against full replacement with real shares.
- Checking a contractor's line items against the standard budget anatomy.
- Choosing a tier before falling in love with premium finishes.
How to use it, step by step
- Measure the kitchen's floor area (not the whole open-plan zone).
- Choose the tier your cabinet and appliance choices actually imply.
- Read the midpoint, then the shares — cabinets first, they are the negotiation.
- Run the Countertop Estimator separately if a quote isolates that line.
- Budget midpoint plus 10–15% contingency for discoveries behind the demo.
What the inputs mean
| Input | What it is | Typical values |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen size | Floor area of the kitchen itself | 100–200 sq ft typical |
| Tier | Finish level setting the rate | Budget $100, mid $225, premium $450 |
Another worked example
A compact budget kitchen: 120 sq ft at $100 per sq ft — $12,000 midpoint, $9,600–$14,400 range, with cabinets at $4,200, countertops $1,440, appliances $1,560 and labour $3,000. It is the stock-cabinets-and-laminate job, and knowing its anatomy keeps a mid-range quote honest by comparison.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a mid-range kitchen remodel cost?
A 150 sq ft kitchen at $225 per sq ft midpoints at $33,750, in a range of $27,000–$40,500: roughly $11,812 of cabinets, $8,438 of labour, $4,388 of appliances and $4,050 of countertops.
Why are cabinets such a large share?
Cabinetry is furniture-grade manufactured product plus hardware plus installation — about 35% of a typical budget, the largest single line. Refacing instead of replacing can cut the cabinet line by half, which on the default kitchen is worth roughly $5,900.
Is a premium kitchen ever worth it?
In cost-vs-value terms, premium kitchens recoup a smaller share at resale than mid-range ones. Premium is worth it for the cooking and the decade you will live in it — buy it as consumption, not as an investment, and it prices honestly.
What is the cheapest meaningful kitchen upgrade?
At budget tier, a 120 sq ft kitchen midpoints at $12,000 — and half of that impact comes from paint, hardware and lighting rather than the counted lines. A sub-$5,000 refresh (paint cabinets, new hardware, new lighting, keep everything else) is a cosmetic project, below even the budget tier here.
Should I trust a quote far below this range?
Ask what is excluded. Quotes land under the range by omitting flooring, permits, electrical updates or the countertop line — each of which returns later as a change order. Compare quotes against the shares table, line by line.
🔨 Doing the whole house?
Room-by-room adds up fast. The Home Renovation Estimator prices cosmetic, full and gut scopes across the whole renovated area at once.
What's the fastest way to blow a kitchen budget?
Layout changes and premium everything. Moving the sink or range adds plumbing, gas and electrical runs; premium tier triples the per-sq-ft rate. The estimator's tier spread (120 sq ft: $12,000 budget vs $54,000 premium midpoint) is the honest size of that decision.
How long does a kitchen remodel take?
Four to eight weeks of work for a same-layout mid-range job once cabinets arrive — and cabinet lead time (4–12 weeks) is usually the real schedule driver. Order counters templated after cabinets are set; the Countertop Estimator's square footage is what gets templated.